A light-hearted remark by Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen’s chief of staff has prompted an apology and renewed debate over South Africa’s foot-and-mouth disease vaccination plans.
On 3 June 2026 Jana Le Roux forwarded a letter from farmer group FMD Response SA to senior officials, describing it as “for some amusement”. The letter, signed by spokesperson Andrew Morphew, requested a meeting on coordinated vaccination windows to achieve simultaneous immunity across the national cattle herd. The email began circulating on social media on 8 June. Morphew said the organisation sought a national biological control programme rather than an extended administrative rollout, citing requirements from the World Organisation for Animal Health for 80 percent simultaneous immunity. On 9 June Steenhuisen posted on X that the message was “in bad taste” and asked the sender to apologise. FMD Response SA accepted the apology and reaffirmed its willingness to work with the department on vaccinating South Africa’s 14 million cattle.
